AS Flyer

Please don't

BOB W

My 3 year old granddaughter is the "Bear That Is Not To Be Poked" but when it comes to AS Poke Away

beckoa

Sounded like AS is waiting on a certificate from the FAA for its new configuration...

AKCuisine

Suggestion: As the roll-out begins, how about adding a tail number section to the wiki for this thread? It would help us track which aircraft have or have not been reconfigured.

prkzoom

Anyone heard if the Alaska Airlines Visa companion certificate will be allowed for premium economy seats?

pcoll

Excellent question.
Did not even think of this as part of the new roll out.

dmodemd

Looking back at the investor presentation it said:

Target 75 aircraft complete by EOY 2016
Another 90 aircraft complete by EOY 2017 (to total of 165)

737-800 : rows 6-10
737-900 : rows 6-9
E-175s : ?

Note it appears exit rows are not considered part of premium economy judging by the seat map. So would this still be "preferred seating" but without the other premium benefits?

dordal

So I'm a little confused by preferred plus vs premium economy in the future. My understanding is AS says they're keeping both, but how will that work in practice? PE will be rows 6-10(ish) and will come with more space, a free drink, and the other unspecified ammenities? And then the exit row will be PP and come with the space & drink but nothing else?

Maybe I'm missing something obvious here but this seems confusing to me.

jinglish

The Embraers are already configured for Y+ in rows 6-8.

sullim4

I just noticed something interesting... if I look at the seat selection for a flight I've booked for November (AS 680), rows 11, 12, 13, and 14 are gone from the map. Looking at that investor report, it would seem like they might be trying to shift everyone back by a few rows by removing the first set of rows directly behind premium economy. The flight back on the 900 has rows 13 and 14 missing.

My flight a week later to EWR (and return from PHL) do NOT have this adjustment.

jinglish

Could just be an aircraft mismatch? AS's systems can be a bit weird; I had a PDX-ORD flight a while back on -900, and searching for flight to make a new reservation would show that was the case, but on the res it was a -800.

sdsearch

Alaska wants to have consistent exit row numbers no matter which type of 737 plane it is and no matter which configuration in front of the exit rows. So as they space rows up front wider apart (whether in F and/or PE) , they have to get rid of some row numbers right behind PE but before the exit rows so that it all ends up at the desired row numbers when they get to the exit rows.

That way they can consistently announce that those in the exit rows can board early, by naming the exit row numbers. (Of course, that boarding order may change a bit once PE is in place.)

channa

I would think the rationale is having consistent PE and Exit Row numbering whenever possible in the event of a plane swap. Those who have reserved or paid for PE/Exit Row will then get to keep it.

Seattlenerd

That was indeed the rationale. Exit row passengers do not, and have not in the recent past, received early boarding (as another poster has speculated).

Of course, this exit row consistency breaks down a little bit on the -700. Even though the exit rows are numbered the same, there is no extra pitch in these particular rows 16 and 17, unless you happen to be in 17A or 17F and there's no seat in front of you. But the thought is nice.

rustykettel

This has changed in the last six months? Because before, Row 6 and the exit rows (Preferred Plus) were boarded after MVPs and before the back half of economy on every flight I was on.